Providence students enter Upper School (Grades 9–12) with a clear goal: to be prepared for the college or university of their choice. In the process, they experience a rich curriculum that encourages active participation, responds to and respects their questions, helps them discover the truth, and guides them as they seek lives of purpose, significance, and strategic impact.
Located in Santa Barbara, our college preparatory liberal arts curriculum, rooted in the classics, prepares students to pursue a wide range of options post-high school – whether it be at university or elsewhere.
Joy in learning is abundant through it all, as teachers and students seek together to discover how the works of Shakespeare, the intricacies of the human genome, or the varying political philosophies of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau can help you and others experience God’s Kingdom. We call this the integration of faith in learning. This perspective provides a foundation from which we explore thinkers, scientists, artists, mathematicians, philosophers, and writers from a variety of cultures and time periods.
At Providence, engaging the mind and shaping the heart is in an end in itself, and our students’ greatest potential is our passion.
Providence’s college-counseling program works in tandem with our mission as a college preparatory school. Our dedicated college counselor walks alongside students and their families for four years, educating, guiding, and mentoring them through the college admission process. At the end of a student’s senior year, he or she will be well prepared and have many attractive options for college education.
“My experience has been that Providence is a safe environment for expressing curiosity and asking questions without fear of ridicule. We are a community of learners who try new things and learn from our experiments, whether they result in success of failure.”
– Providence Upper School student
Providence dual-credit programs allow students seeking an academic challenge to earn college credits while attending the Upper School for future savings in time, money, and enhanced flexibility when they get to college. We offer three avenues to pursue college credits.
Advanced Placement: English Literature and Composition, Spanish Language and Culture, Calculus AB, Statistics, Chemistry, Microeconomics, Studio Art: Drawing, Studio Art: 2D Design. To learn more, visit: collegeboard.com
Concurrent Enrollment: Providence students have the ability to earn dual credits through Colorado Christian University in the following courses: Christian Theism & Comparative World Views, Humanities III Honors, AP English Literature, AP Microeconomics, AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP Spanish. To learn more, visit: www.ccu.edu/dualcreditprogram/
Online College Courses: A variety of courses are approved as independent study options. To learn more, contact Mrs. Sophie Troya, registrar.
Special academies within the school allow in-depth learning and skill development in engineering, theater and music, trade apprenticeship, critical humanities analysis, and visual arts.
The Providence Engineering Academy is a proven pathway for students considering a career in math, science, or engineering disciplines. Under the direction of Mr. Rodney Meadth, students are enrolled in specific classes from ninth through twelfth grade, experiencing the breadth of a modern engineering experience.
Set in the school’s Christian liberal arts context, students are taught to ask: How can I best solve problems and serve others with my unique skills and training? Through physics, computer modeling, hands-on projects, robotics, architecture, and more, students are inspired and equipped to find creative solutions to the world’s problems, all the while recognizing that they are doing so as imitators of a creative God.
Read about the latest Engineering Academy projects on our blog
Engineering Design
With training in product design, traditional drafting, computer-aided design (CAD), architecture, and 3D printing and other manufacturing methods, students are taught to create efficient and effective designs. In teams and individually they participate in rapid charrettes, honing their ability to represent their solutions to clients in a variety of ways.
Robotics
Robotic systems offer a way for students to grow in many areas, including structural design, sensor technology, programming and logic, and systems engineering. Students produce unique robotic solutions and present them back to our school community—no building from instructions allowed here!
Engineering Statics
Statics is the study of stationary objects and systems, such as beams and trusses. This course, teaching college-level content, culminates in a design project where students design, refine, and build a structure that meets a community need.
Engineering Dynamics
Dynamics is the study of how physical objects move, accelerate, and interact with each other. Focusing on flight, this course teaches essential aerodynamic principles and culminates in an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) project and a tethered powered fixed-wing aircraft, both of which are designed mathematically and manufactured in-house.
TRIAD (Travel, Research, Investigate, Apprentice, Discover), is an in-depth exploration of student interests designed to promote active engagement with topics that encourage curiosity, collaboration, and problem-solving. TRIAD showcases the diverse abilities of talented faculty while offering a broader range of courses for students to explore, such as game theory, printmaking, mock trial, entrepreneurship, filmmaking, and triathlon training. Students may also earn course credit through internships, international travel, and independent study.
“Beyond the Classroom” extends learning opportunities through off-campus adventures. Each trip provides a unique context in which students encounter experiential-based learning and participate in significant conversations. A variety of activities are offered for all age groups. The potential for student growth in an environment beyond the classroom is so important that we view these experiences as a cornerstone of the Providence Journey.
New trips and experiences are planned every year, to suit the interests and goals of Providence students.
Hollister Ranch Surf Trip: Students enjoy two days of surfing various spots on the exclusive Hollister Ranch with an experienced guide and Ranch local. Overnight camping. (Intermediate to advanced surfers)
Mammoth Ski / Snowboard Trip: Students enjoy two full days skiing or snowboarding at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort. Accommodations at a nearby hotel or condominium rental.
Kern River Whitewater Rafting Trip: Students enjoy a Class III-IV guided whitewater experience over three days. This trip includes tent camping and rock climbing.
Channel Island Kayaking– Students enjoy three days and two nights exploring Santa Cruz Island, with kayaking, snorkeling, hiking, and overnight camping.
We believe art helps us understand the beauty of creation and of the Creator. That begins with fostering a sense of awe and wonder. We understand art to be a fundamental part of our human rationality, not just a vehicle for self-expression. Our curriculum provides students proper training in creative ways to communicate ideas and experiences and to develop a healthy lifelong aesthetic. We offer drawing, painting, photography, digital design, theater classes, and vocal and instrumental worship music opportunities. The school calendar includes many public presentation and performance opportunities.
We were made by a Creator to be creative. At Providence, we believe an environment rich in arts and culture strengthens and supports an education rooted in all that is true, beautiful, and excellent.
Providence students experience a myriad of opportunities to voice and express their creativity and talents in the classroom, on stage, and in the community. It is through these experiences that students learn more about the beauty in God’s creation and the complexities of human life and relationships. Through art, students learn how to think critically, develop a passion for beauty, and create with imagination.
Our campuses are alive with student art. Our visual artists have frequent opportunities to create and display their drawings, paintings, sculpture, and photography in gallery-like shows. All divisions present programs at Christmas and in the springtime, with additional revues throughout the year.
Theatrical productions may be dramatic or musical or a combination; past productions have included You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Twelfth Night, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof, and The Music Man. From running the sound booth to designing the stage for the spring drama or musical, Providence thespians participate in the entire theater production process.
Providence thoughtfully and consistently nurtures spiritual development through weekly chapels, class discussions, opportunities for service, and annual retreats.
An annual overnight retreat at the beginning of the year sets the theme and tone for the year. Students enjoy getting to know each other in a beautiful setting in God’s creation while enjoying fellowship, building community, and hearing from inspirational speakers. Games, hikes, pool time, good meals, and entertaining faculty skits round out this exciting experience.
During the school year, Middle and Upper School students meet, often together, for Wednesday chapels. In chapel, students lead and participate in live worship music and prayer, while hearing from speakers drawn from the faculty and local churches.
The Bible curriculum exposes students to the foundations of Christian faith and the Scriptures. Scripture and Christian philosophy are then integrated into all academic disciplines.
With a consistent, strong focus on life application, Bible courses begin in the first year with a study of the Old Testament, moving on to New Testament in the sophomore year. In junior year, the focus centers on discipleship with a deep dive into the Book of James. Our senior year apologetics course covers Christian theism and worldview. Students read Tim Keller’s book, The Reason for God. Their culminating activity is a senior thesis project; students take on a current issue of their own choosing, are paired with faculty mentor, thoroughly investigate the topic and how the Bible speaks to it, and prepare and present their results for both the school community and the broader community.
We uphold the importance of service both from a Christian perspective and from a personal perspective. In Matthew 10:45 Jesus reminds the disciples, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Not only are we called to serve, but, through service, we learn and experience things that cannot be taught in a traditional academic setting.
Service is so important that we are intentional to schedule time during the school year for our students to be involved with and learn about service. One opportunity for this occurs each fall with our Philia Day.
Our students participate in a competitive CIF athletics program and outdoor education opportunities, providing students with the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that will enable them to pursue lifelong physical fitness and wellness.
Twenty physical education credits are required for graduation, which may be earned through participation in CIF athletics, taking authorized independent PE classes (club sports, dance, swimming, water polo, etc.), participating in school-sponsored Beyond the Classroom or Fitness Pursuits activities, or completing the elective functional anatomy course, covering kinesiology and sports medicine topics.
Students are given more responsibilities and privileges as they mature. Upper School students may participate as prefects, serve in student government, organize and run clubs, and captain athletic teams. We are committed to creating a community that fosters unity and friendship. Working with faculty mentors, students plan many fun and welcoming activities throughout the year, including spirit days and school dances, service projects, and providing leadership on on preschool and Lower School campus.
Monday–Friday: 8:10 am–2:45 pm
Sports practices and games and performing arts rehearsals are after school hours
Calendar: Late August through early June, with scheduled breaks at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring, Easter, and other holidays
Lead teachers are experienced and highly qualified. They live Christ-centered lives and are passionate about serving children and families. They enjoy close relationships with students, fostered in classes that are small and nurturing. The student-to-teacher ratio is approximately 6:1.
Parent involvement as a classroom volunteer is welcome and encouraged, but not required. Parents are invited to join the Canon Perdido campus Parent Association, which meets monthly to share information and plan activities to enhance the life of the school community.
We would love to meet your family and share with you our unique Christian high school program in Santa Barbara.
For a personalized tour, please call our school office at (805) 962-4400 or email admission coordinator Emilee Hurlbert.
We look forward to partnering with your family.
